Chennai: Taking a humane and pragmatic view of a case before it, Madras High Court on Thursday set free a former CEO of a Chennai company held for possessing cocaine after he came out of the addiction through treatment at a rehab centre, under the court supervision. This is perhaps the first time in recent history that the court intervened to pull a man out of his dangerous drug addiction and set him free into mainstream society, instead of dumping him in a prison cell.
In 2014, the CEO came into contact with Andrew of Bangalore and started sourcing and consuming small quantities of cocaine for recreational purpose. The banned drug was delivered by a private courier company to him for about six months. On June 9, 2015, the Narcotics Control Bureau seized the cocaine package. He was arrested for possessing and consuming 3.88 grams of cocaine. He moved the lower court but it rejected his plea.
Aggrieved, he filed a petition in Madras high court. During the course of hearing, the CEO filed another petition expressing his willingness to undergo medical treatment for de-addiction from TTK hospital in the city. “After the incident, I lost my job and now I want to rehabilitate myself in society. Unless the present petition is allowed, I may be put to great hardship and irreparable loss,” he said. Concurring with the submissions of Abudukumar, counsel for the CEO, Justice C.T. Selvam had on January 27, this year stayed the proceedings before the lower court and permitted the CEO to undergo treatment towards de-addiction at TTK hospital. The judge also directed the hospital to file a report about the treatment.
The hospital field a report informing the court that the CEO had undergone treatment between April 16 and May 15 and certified that he was fully substance independent and would require only periodic check-up. Recording the same, Justice Selvam said the CEO has gained immunity from prosecution under section 64-A of the NDPS Act and quashed the criminal proceedings against him.
